What you see here in illustrations is the 2015 Corvette Z06. What's that, you say this can't be the Z06? It sure is, according to the chief engineer as well as a number of other people familiar with the project. GM so doesn't want you to see this.

Last week when I drove the new Corvette convertible, Chevrolet held an embargoed information session on the 2015 Z06. Our stance on product embargoes like this, typically called backgrounders, meant that I had to decline attending. But I had friends at the session that would certainly tell me everything about the car. That would be beside the fact that GM PR announced, and this is not a joke, that nobody was to discuss the car with me at dinner.

An 'embargo' is when a journalist, and a car company the journalist is supposed to cover, …
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Seriously.

And even though they kept PR people near me the entire evening, I was able to get enough details on the down low about the new Z06 that our own Jason Torchinsky was able to bring the car to life for you, the readers. And let me tell you, it has some crazy features you'd never expect.

The Name

They might be calling it the Z06 right now, but that isn't what the car will officially be called when it goes on sale. Nor will it be the rumored Z07. Nope.

A source at the briefing informed me that it will actually be the ZElevtyTeen. A daring name choice, but it just makes sense, doesn't it? Kind of?

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Multiple sources confirmed with me through the night that the Z06 will not be supercharged. Instead, the Z06 will have an air cooled diesel V8. From what I can tell, this is a first for the Corvette.

Drivetrain

Along with the shock of the engine, the Z06 will only come in all-wheel drive according to multiple people privy to inside information on the project.

It'll make the Z06 more capable than ever before.

Transmission

Amazingly, the Z06 utilizes a transmission unlike anything we've ever seen before. The rear wheels are driven via a CVT while the front wheels are connected to a nine speed manual transmission. That makes for one of the most unique transmission setups ever on a car.

It's also sure to keep the driver engaged, since that's a lot of shifting.

The 2015 Corvette Z06 is set to debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show and let me be the first to…
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Aerodynamics

Even though Chevrolet has said they're leaving the shooting brake body style to Callaway, I can confirm that was all a bunch of smoke and mirrors. The Z06 is a shooting brake to help it cut through the air with aplomb. That also makes it the most usable Corvette yet.

Flight

This one came straight from Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter, who told me that it will be able to fly. Not on tracks. He meant it very literally.

He didn't give me specifics on how exactly it'll take flight, but our mockup makes use of some retractable wings, which just seem like the most reasonable solution to make the Corvette take flight.

And there you have it, all of GM's secrets on the table. And this is why we don't do product embargoes, to bring you all the info everyone else has to withhold until next month.